More than half of Victoria is on high alert for extreme bushfire conditions as crews make inroads on a wild blaze in the Australian state's west.
Extreme fire danger is predicted for six of Victoria's nine weather districts on Wednesday, with temperatures predicted to hit mid-30°C to 40°C across the state.
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting the mercury to top 43°C in Mildura in the state's northwest and winds of up to 40km/h.
But Country Fire Authority chief Jason Heffernan said authorities were focused on the nearby Wimmera region, with the fire risk modelled at the upper-end of extreme.
"We will watch the movements in the next couple of days," he told ABC TV on Monday.
"At the moment the models are firming for at least a nasty day in six districts. Half the state is in extreme bushfire rating."
Other weather districts in the firing line are the Mallee, South West, Northern Country, North Central and Central.
Mr Heffernan warned residents in those areas cannot afford to be complacent and particularly urged those who live near bushland or grassland to clean up around the house.
"We need the Victorian communities to be ready for Wednesday," he said.
"The Bayindeen fire burnt under extreme conditions. We saw how quick that fire ran. We saw how far spot fires emerged, some 15km ahead of the main front."
More than 500 firefighters are continuing to battle the Bayindeen blaze, northwest of Ballarat, which has burned more than 19,500ha and destroyed six homes. Sheds and fences have also been lost.
The fire between Raglan and Mount Cole was not yet under control, but firefighters have slowed its spread.
About 70 per cent of the blaze is behind containment lines, with crews to begin burning pockets of unburnt fuel between the fire front and the containment lines on Monday.
"We do have milder, calmer conditions, which are great for firefighters," Mr Heffernan said.
"However, we expect minor drizzle which may slow some progress."
A watch and act warning remains in place on Monday morning, with residents in Amphitheatre, Raglan and Elmhurst warned it was not yet safe to return to their homes.
An advice warning is also active for nearby towns, although the threat has eased for parts of Langi Kal Kal, Trawalla, Beaufort, Lexton, Green Hill Creek, Rosyth and Lamplough.
Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes said diverse terrain was making life difficult for firefighters.
"There's a lot of steep areas, there's private pine plantations, it is a difficult area to get into," she told ABC Radio Melbourne.
"The advice I have is that, even if it was perfect conditions, this is a fire that would take up to three weeks to fully extinguish."
A man sparked four spot fires along the Western Highway at Buangor, not far from the bushfires, on Sunday by driving a car on its rims.
The 27-year-old Sebastopol man was seen driving on the wrong side of the road and nearly hit a pedestrian before he was chased down by members of the public after dumping the car. He has been charged and bailed to face court in mid-March.
PM pledges support
The Victorian and federal governments are in talks about assistance for residents who have lost their homes or suffered property damage.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged to provide whatever support was needed.
"We will provide whatever support is requested from Victoria," he told reporters in the city of Frankston, Victoria, according to a transcript.
"It's a reminder of the need for us to be vigilant for us to continue to work and act on the threat that is climate change."
Around 1000 firefighters supported by more than 50 aircraft have battled the fires since they started.
As well as destroying homes, the fire has killed livestock and forced more than 2000 people to leave western towns and head to the city of Ballarat, 95km west of the state capital, Melbourne.
Australia is in the grips of an El Nino weather pattern, which is typically associated with extreme phenomena such as wildfires, cyclones and droughts.
The last two bushfire seasons have been subdued compared with the 2019-2020 "Black Summer", when bushfires destroyed an area the size of Turkey, killing 33 people and an estimated 3 billion animals.
- AAP and Reuters
